Dungeons and Dragons: The nerdy 80’s hobby is now a modern sensation
By Thomas French and Matthew Strahlman
November 18, 2019
“Okay. There are three goblins about 15 feet in front of you. Everybody, roll for initiative.” This scenario is familiar to D&D players and fans of Stranger Things as well. “Dungeons and Dragons” is an incredibly immersive role-playing game created in 1972 by Gary Gygax, and is still widely p...
A Marxist Reading of TikTok
By Peter Soprunov, Beachwood High School
November 15, 2019
In 2016, Beijing ByteDance Technology Co Ltd. released musical.ly, a lip sync video-sharing platform today most remembered for giving the world Jacob Sartorius and other faux riche preteen garbage celebrities. In 2018, however, a triumph of rebranding transformed the app into a central pillar of mod...
Believe the hype for Twenty One Pilots tour
By Anna Henning, Fossil Ridge High School
November 15, 2019
Scrolling through Instagram on weekends, I often see photos of someone dressed up for a concert, typically with the caption being something along the lines of, “Best night of my life!” As someone with social anxiety and not liking crowds over thirty people, I never understood the appeal of going ...
How ‘Harriet’ inaccurately portrays history
By Cameron Thomas, The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science
November 15, 2019
The U.S. has always had a way of romanticizing its history, whether in the colorful fireworks on Independence Day or the remaining Confederate monuments spread throughout the South. "Harriet" is a once in a decade take on one of the most respected figures in black and even American history. Though...
Review: “Magdalene” by FKA Twigs
By Alexander Balfanz, Woodside High School
November 15, 2019
FKA Twigs released her second album "Magdalene" on November 8, 2019, marking her first full-length album since 2014's "LP1." The album features Twigs collaborating with a variety of talented electronic artists across nine songs. “Magdalene”’s first track, “thousand eyes,” functions as a...
“Ad Astra” Reaches for the Stars
By Robert Miller, Grand Ledge High School
November 14, 2019
In the last few years, the film industry seems to have developed an obsession with space and ideas of interstellar travel and exploration. In just the past seven years alone, movies such as Christopher Nolan’s "Interstellar," Alfonso Cuarón’s "Gravity," and Ridley Scott’s "The Martian" were released...
“The King” shows potential but turns out forgettable
By Helen Qian, Richard Montgomery High School
November 13, 2019
As a film that determinedly blankets itself in the grim hues of medieval war and political strife, Netflix’s “The King,” at first glance, seems like it would make for yet another sobering but forgettable historical epic. It does, until it doesn’t—but that in itself is a catch. The occasional...
Marvel’s leading ladies: the long overdue role models for young girls everywhere
By Maria Vaaler, Pleasant Valley High School
November 13, 2019
Blockbuster films have been predominantly led by male heroes for decades, but as Marvel actresses dominate the box office and call for an all-female Marvel movie, this lengthy era of male dominance in the hero department may be reaching its close. Recently, Brie Larson, who has received critical success...
Female Empowerment Through the Experimental Pop Revolution
By Sydney Wills, Academy of the Holy Names
November 12, 2019
It’s no matter of opinion that when it comes to the music industry, women are underrepresented and often times, belittled. People most often associate female musicians with the genre of traditional pop, and by doing this, female musicians are forced into an unimaginative box that limits their pote...
Ariana Grande and her collaborators fight against the patriarchy with the ‘Charlie’s Angels’ soundtrack.
By Mason Montano, Pinole Valley
November 12, 2019
When Ariana Grande announced she was executive producing the soundtrack for the new Charlie’s Angels movie, gays everywhere lost their minds — myself included. The lead single, “Don’t Call Me Angel (Charlie’s Angels)”, was revealed to be a collaboration between Grande, Miley Cyrus, and La...
“Jojo Rabbit” is a powerhouse of comedy and emotion
By Edward Keen, West High School
November 12, 2019
Taika Waititi has proven himself again and again to be one of Hollywood’s greatest tour de force directors of delightfully bizarre arthouse films that tread the line between drama and full-on comedy. Viewers that have followed him closely through his slow rise may attribute his name to the mockumenta...
Selena Gomez returns with 2 hits, encourages self love
By Raven Day, The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science
November 11, 2019
Vulnerability can be a powerful thing when expressed in the right way. For a celebrity to be able to open themselves up to their fans in their work, it takes courage. Selena Gomez wears her heart on her sleeve in her return to the music scene after a year long hiatus. On Oct. 22, Gomez released her...
‘Gemini Man’ tortures viewers with plotlessness
By Gabriella Polin, Mayfield High School
November 7, 2019
If you’re looking for an overwhelmingly mediocre action movie featuring multiple Will Smiths, “Gemini Man” is the movie for you. As I sat down in the theater with my painfully overpriced ticket, I held onto hope that Will Smith would come through and make this less-than-promising concept into...
King Princess’ ‘Cheap Queen’ fails to live up to expectations
By Zachary Khouri, Carlmont High School
November 7, 2019
I must admit, I was excited about this album. And by excited, I mean very excited. I have been following King Princess’s career since her debut single, “1950,” was released back in February 2018. That March, Harry Styles had tweeted lyrics from the song, which spurred on her popularity with the general public. Meanwhile, I discovered her by accident...
To all the Netflix movies I’ve watched before
By Maggie Craig and Naisha Roy
November 7, 2019
Netflix is good for many things such as binge watching and post-breakup comfort, but reflecting the accuracy of high schools isn’t one of them. Jocks shoving nerds into lockers, popular kids stuffing their lunches down other kids’ shirts, and close-knit cliques that never break apart are some of...
‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ says ‘hasta la vista, baby’ to quality
By Ethan Torban, Carlmont High School
November 6, 2019
WARNING: This review has minor spoilers for the 2019 film "Terminator: Dark Fate." "Terminator: Dark Fate" proved itself to be nothing more than a CGI-focused cash grab, dedicated to the possibility of another sequel. In the past 10 years, Paramount Pictures has released three "Terminator" movies,...
Look, mom! I can flop
By Lainey Devlin, North Cobb High School
November 4, 2019
Netflix recently released its latest original documentary, Travis Scott: Look Mom, I Can Fly, which received major backlash from fans for its confusing and hard to follow dynamic. Directed by White Trash Tyler, the film takes on the style of a studio movie, documenting the creation and anticipation ...
Tessa Violet’s ‘Bad Ideas’ showcases surprising depth
By Zachary Khouri, Carlmont High School
November 4, 2019
The chorus to Tessa Violet’s “Crush” has been ringing in my ears since I first heard it last year. The song, with its catchy melody, upbeat tempo, and relatable lyrics, instantly garnered the attention of many, including myself. It’s been over a year since that song was released, and she has...
Monsta X’s fifth studio album will ‘Find You’ hope in your darkest moments
By Jacqueline Sumida, Downers Grove South High School
November 1, 2019
On Oct. 28, 2019, one of the world’s most sonically recognizable boy bands, Monsta X, released their third album of 2019 “Follow- Find You.” As one of my favorite groups of all time, I was over the moon when this album was announced. From the teaser images to the double music videos, this was primed...
“The Lighthouse” is without question the best film of the year
By Jack Harris, West High School
November 1, 2019
“The Lighthouse” is a tale of how two men, isolated on a decrepit rock, fall into a state of murderous hysteria. Robert Eggers is such a stupendous filmmaker, viewers will likely fall victim to the same enchanting curse that strikes down the main characters. The film has only two characters, Th...
Kanye West gets Biblical on “Jesus is King”
By Jack Ging, Saba Ali, and Lia Riechmann
November 1, 2019
On Friday, Oct. 25, Chicago-born artist Kanye West released his ninth solo album “Jesus is King”. Exactly as the title implies, this album is made up of several religious songs. The record was initially teased in late 2018 under the name “Yandhi”, with a release date slated for September of th...
Mario strikes at MAC
By Madelynn Niles, McCallum High School
October 31, 2019
Everything is tense. The stillness seems to last an eternity. It is the moment you have been preparing for for far too long. All that surrounds you now is the sound of your engine rumbling and the serene clouds of Cheep Cheep Lagoon, and for a moment, you forget to breathe, but there’s no time to think...
Atlanta sees the arrival of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
By Dominik Perez, North Cobb High School
October 31, 2019
Concert goers witnessed mosh pits, psychedelic visuals, and electric performances at the Tabernacle on September 2. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard stopped by Atlanta during their tour following the release of their latest album, Infest the Rat’s Nest. The line for the show circled all the way...
Opinion: Kanye’s ‘Jesus Is King’ is perfect
By Miles Ozorio, Carlmont High School
October 30, 2019
Let’s get this straight: Kanye doesn’t care what you think. He probably doesn’t care what anybody thinks. In fact, this attitude is most likely the reason you love him, or the reason you hate him. Yet, Kanye is himself. Undoubtedly, and in every scenario, he is himself. And in 2019, Kanye...
Peanut Butter Falcon flies into theaters
By Jack Wolfe, Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio
October 29, 2019
When going to a movie theater filled with giant surround sound speakers where you can hear every explosion and gunshot in the upcoming action blockbuster, it is easy to miss the beauty and nuance of just two friends on a raft, drifting towards their dreams with nothing but the world to hold them back. The...
“We Live in a Society”
By Connor Thompson, Lake Ridge
October 29, 2019
Mental Illness has long been a difficult subject for many as evidenced by the creation of Mental Illness Awareness Week, from October 6 to October 12, to raise awareness about this seldom discussed issue. The timely issue of Mental Illness, however, was also accompanied by the release of the critically...
A Review of Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Testaments:’ What Ending Would You Like to Have?
By Kate Hayashi, Portola High School
October 29, 2019
Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” was published in 1985 when my mother was a teenager. It's sequel “The Testaments” came out last month. A generation later, the story seamlessly reopens and suggests timeless relevance of the topics of gender, power and faith first explored by its predecessor. “The...
Mxtoon’s newest album captures hearts
By Jaece Houston, Plano Senior High School
October 28, 2019
Mxmtoon, also known as Maia, is a 19 year old Californian social media personality and singer-songwriter whose newest album is truly beautiful. This new album, however, was no small accomplishment. Rounding of at an hour and seven minutes, its over 40 minutes longer than her debut album, plum blo...
Lonely Boy, ‘El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie’ Review
By Matthew Proietti, Walnut Hills High School
October 28, 2019
Spoilers for Breaking Bad follow. Breaking Bad ended six years ago and with it the story of Walter White (Bryan Cranston). We witnessed his transformation from a meek high school chemistry teacher to a cruel, egotistical drug kingpin, and it was one wild ride, to say the least. Series creator Vince...
A Week In The Tunes
By Caroline Zeeman, Lake Forest High School
October 25, 2019
As always, the end of the week means new music. Here is a look at five standout projects released this past week, and five projects to be on the lookout for over this upcoming week. To keep up with the latest tracks, make sure to follow the A Week In The Tunes Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly. Here is a review of some stand out new releases this week: What’s...